Mark,
I had composed a long reply, but you covered it all. From gasoline to
ceiling fans having our fruit picked, Americans in general don't want
to pay for what things really cost.
Nothing off the shelf. Cool.
Jeff
At 16:23 -0800 1/5/06, Mark Hineline wrote:
>On Jan 5, 2006, at 3:16 PM, Wm. Severin Thompson wrote:
>
>>All these mass merchandisers carry nothing but crap. If you want to buy
>>anything but crap, you're out of luck.
>
>Options:
>
>1. Internet. I make most purchases via the internet. It's actually
>easier to get high quality goods now than it ever was. I haven't
>tried, but I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that you can get a damned
>good broom via the internet if you know what you're looking for.
>
>2. Small local craftsmen, like blacksmiths and welders. Tell them
>exactly what you want and how well you want it made. Be willing to
>pay the price for it. Make use of their down time. Be willing to
>work back and forth between a couple craftspeople to get what you
>want.
>
>3. Make it yourself. Better yet, make two, and sell one on ebay to
>cover the costs. You're not the only one who hates to buy crap.
>House fan? Build an oak frame, put on a nice grille and a handle,
>order a fan motor and blades over the internet.
>
>4. Develop an aesthetic that says "nothing off the shelf." Translate
>that into Latin and hang it over your front door.
>
>I agree with the basic complaint, but I've found all kinds of ways
>to work around this problem.
>
>Mark
--
Jeffrey H. Boatright, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Ophthalmology
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA 30322
Editor-in-Chief
Molecular Vision
http://www.molvis.org/
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